Spot's Tiger
by Queenie1
Summary: Spot Conlon awakes oe morning to find a small girl on the stoop ofthe Lodging House...He brings her to Manhattan to live with Jack...And she changes the lives of all the newsies she coms in contact with...for the better or for the worse. . .
1. Can't Go Back. . .

I'll never go back! I can't go back. A small girl panted as she ran through the lonely, dark streets of New York City one cool August night. She ran until she came to a large brick building by the docks of Brooklyn. Letting her exhaustion overpower her, she collapsed on the steps of the building.  
  
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Spot Conlon, the leader of the Brooklyn newsies awoke one morning with a notion in his head that his life would change soon. He knew it was stupid so he pushed it to the back of his mind and went into his washroom to freshen up before he got around to selling his papers that day.  
When walked downstairs to get his other newsies up and going, he was met half down by one of his smallest newsies, Squirt. He was a little black kid who couldn't have been older than nine years old. He tugged on Spot's shirt to get his attention.  
"Hey, Spot! Nifty found a girl on the step las' night! He wants ya to see 'er! Oh, and Spot, she's a real feisty one!" Squirt had a lisp so all his 's' sounded like 'th'.  
"Oh really. Where is Nifty?" he asked as he continued down the steps, the little boy following.  
"In the lobby!" Everything he said ended in an exclamation point. He truly admired Spot.  
"Ok, thanks, Squirt. Now go do me a favor and wake all the other guys up for me."  
"Ok, Spot! Anything you say, sir!" and with that, he ran right back up the steps. Spot laughed to himself. That kid cracks me up.  
When he reached the lobby, he found about six of his newsies holding down a small girl of about sixteen. She had shoulder length thick, brown, wavy hair with golden streaks in it. He couldn't tell what her eyes looked like because they were narrowed in slits of hatred.  
"Easy, boys. Let the doll breathe." In an instant the guys holding her down got off her and she stood up. Her dress was dirty and old and revealing. It had slits going up the side and a low cut front. Her face was covered in thick make-up and there were streaks of dirt all over it. Crossing her arms across her chest, she glared at him and all the other guys in the room. "So, Nifty, where'd ya get the girl?"  
One of the guys that had been holding her down stepped forward. He was a lot taller than Spot but it was clear who was in charge.  
"She was just lyin' there on the steps and so I decided to take 'er in cuz she was shiverin'. " The girl had stayed silent until then.  
"You son-of-a-bitch better let me go 'er I'll beat the fuckin' crap outta you!" she screamed.  
"Wow, the brat's gotta mouth on 'er," Spot said and the others laughed.  
"Shut-up, you lousy bastard!" She snapped.  
"Hey, watch it!" he growled almost as fierce. They glared each other down for a while then Spot spoke. "Now let's start over. I'm Spot Conlon. Who are you?" She didn't speak. She looked at the other people in the room. Spot took the hint and led her up to his room on the third floor. She followed without a fight. When they reached his private room, he shut the door behind him and locked it.  
"Now," he said, turning around, "What's your name?"   
"Liz, Liz Neeley." She sat down on the floor and Spot joined her. His room was still dark with his shades pulled down. He lit his lamp to create some light and then sat back down.  
"Well, Liz Neeley, where'd you come from and why did one of my newsies find you sleepin' on my stoop?"  
"I was, um, running away from home because, um, my stepfather beats me," she lied quickly.  
"Oh, I'm sorry."   
"Yeah, sure ya are," she replied sarcastically. She did not want to make peace with this guy that fast. Besides, she wanted to use him to get to a safe haven first.  
Spot rolled his eyes. This girl was more trouble than he bargained for but she was beautiful. He just realized how her big brown eyes sparkled in the candlelight and her light brown locks framed her face. He came out of his trance however when he noticed she was staring straight back at him, mocking his stunned expression.  
"I'm is takin' you to Manhattan. Looks like you need to start off right. And this ain't no place to start off right. You gotta earn a livin' so your gonna learn from the best. Plus, I couldn't possibly teach you cuz I can't stand your attitude." He stood up and grabbed her arm roughly.  
"Yeah, well I can't stand you either, you lousy sonova-"  
"Watch yer language!" He paused. "Well, I think that was better...It was 7 sentences before you cursed at me," and he yanked her harder down the steps. She screamed. The newsies from the floor below looked up at them, curiously. Spot glared at them and they backed off.  
Screaming will do you no good, wench! The cold words of her past echoed through her head as Spot yanked her down the three flights of stairs. He pulled her out the doorway and down to the water's edge and threw her down on the ground. He was very strong despite his size.  
"Wash," he ordered and by the tone in his voice, she didn't argue. She bent down to the water and cupped some in her hands. Her reflection stared up at her. Her make-up was smeared from crying and her eyes were blood shot. There were thick streaks of mud all over her face from sleeping in alleys and such, trying to get away from her low life. She scrubbed her face until the skin was red. She tried to wash away all of her unhappiness but when she was done, it was still there. She stood up and Spot grabbed her again and dragged her all the way to Manhattan.  
As they walked, Liz looked up at her captor. He was very good looking and she would agree with herself if he weren't gripping her arm so tightly.  
"Hey! I can walk myself you know!" she tried to tear her arm away from him. But his hold was too strong.  
"I know," he spat out. He let her arm go but he was very rough in doing so.  
She walked slowly behind him. She found herself checking him out. She had to force herself to think about something else. But years of pretending to be interested in men she didn't know were getting the better of her. By the time she had unglued her eyes from the handsome guy in front of her, they had reached the Manhattan Newsies Lodging House.  
"Here it is," he said and walked up the front steps. She followed. The inside of this Lodging House wasn't very much, just a desk in one corner and a couple of old worn out couches. He pulled her upstairs, nodding at the old man sitting at the desk.  
"Hello, Spot. What brings you here?" he called out after them. Spot stopped.  
"I found 'er and I can't keep 'er so I brought 'er here. For Jack." Kloppman nodded again.  
"What's her name?"  
"Liz Neeley."  
"Well, she's gonna have to pay like the rest of 'em."  
"She knows. How much money you got?" he said, now to Liz.  
"Enough," she said, harshly. She wasn't about to let Spot do anything for her.  
"Okay, then." And they continued on their way up the steps.  
When they reached the bunkroom, they were met with many boys. "Hey, Jack!" he called. A tall, dirty-blond hair guy stepped out of the washroom. He had a red bandanna tied around his neck. Her immediate reaction was to push out her chest and smooth out her hair. She had to remind herself not to and make herself look more casual.  
"Hey, welcome to the Lodgin' House." He smiled at her. She smiled back. "What do ya want Spot?"  
"She needs somewhere to stay and I thought that she could stay 'ere cuz I don't got anywhere for 'er. She's runnin' from 'er step father and you need to teach 'er how to sell papes."  
"Sure, Spot. What's 'er name?"  
"Liz Neeley, but she's feisty as a tiger. And she sure has got a mouth on 'er." She glared at him.  
"Then let's call 'er Tiger!" Mush yelled as he came out of the wash room. He jumped in surprise when he realized whom they were talking about. He grinned sheepishly at the beautiful girl.  
"I's sorry, miss. My name's Mush Meyers."  
"I'm Liz Neeley," she said saucily and winked at Mush. He blushed. Spot shoved him away.  
"Now, I don't want any of you to try anything on her while she's here."  
"I don't think they're the ones that need the whatchin'," a voice from the wash room doorway said. Liz glared at her. She was tall, skinny, straight blond hair and dazzling green eyes. She glared right in back.  
"Hey, hey, easy on her, Sweety. She's new," Jack said. Sweety was his only long time girl friend since Sarah. She had become a newsie to be with Jack.  
"Yeah, well she's a slut and I don't want her flirtin' with my man!" Sweety spit out, directed more at Liz than Spot and stormed out of the room. Jack looked uncomfortable. So did Liz.  
"She's not usually like this. Really," Jack said.  
"Yeah, whatever," Liz said, trying not to cry. "Where's my bed?" She sniffled.  
"Right in here," he said and he led her to another room. "Sorry, but there ain't anymore in the main bunkroom and I don't really expect you to wanna sleep with any of these guys," he motioned to the on looking newsies. Won't be anything new to me, she thought. "Well, I got to get to work. You pro'bly want to get settled so I'll come and get you for lunch and we can sell the evening news, okay?"  
"Okay," she said. Just then Spot poked his head in the room.  
"Hey, Jack. You know you ain't getting' her permanently, she's comin' back to Brooklyn after she knows how to sell, okay?" Jack laughed.  
"Sure, Spot," he said and walked out to meet Sweety. Liz just stood there with her mouth open.  
"What? I'm goin' back to Brooklyn?"  
"Yeah, your mine," he said, egoistically.  
"Hey! You can't order me around like that! I ain't doin' nothin' I don't gotta!"  
"Well, you do gotta cuz you got to learn how to fight."  
"But I can fight!" Spot smirked.  
"Yeah right, a puny little thing like you couldn't even defend 'erself against a feather!"  
"You wanna say that to my face?" she replied angrily.  
"I just did," he said plainly. She glowered at him. "Come on take your best shot!" She charged at him and jumped on his foot, hoping he would bend down and then she could knee him in the face. But he didn't move he didn't even grimace. "What? Didja think I was gonna fall for that?" She didn't want to admit that she did. She finally gave up and slapped him across the face. He looked stunned at first and then laughed. "We got a lotta work to do." And he walked out.  
"Aw, go fuck yerself!" she yelled after him. He just laughed harder. Liz was fuming. She sat down on her bed and started unpacking her few treasures from her purse. She had a comb, her cosmetics, an extra dress and her locket. She put the dress into the drawer of the bedside table and arranged the rest on top. There was only a bed and the small table in the closet-sized room. As she looked around, she noticed a door. She opened it and found an even smaller room with a sink and a shower. The shower was only a shallow pit with a piece of cloth attached to the ceiling and a pump at one end. It wasn't much but it was hers. She washed up and changed into her clean dress. The one she had been wearing was filthy and torn. She made a mental note to either fix it or get a new one.  
When she was finished, she laid down on her bed and thought. Her life seemed to be getting better. She had gotten a job that wasn't totally degrading. She was beginning to regain her pride. Then there was Spot. He was very handsome and she was definitely interested but she had a problem with the way he treated her. He probably knew that she was lying about her past and what she was, or used to be. He had a huge ego and he treated her like dirt. 


	2. Lunch. . .

"Hey! Are you comin' to lunch or what?" She jumped.  
"Was I asleep?" she asked the Italian boy in the doorway.  
"I guess. So are you? Jack told me to come and get you."  
"Is his girlfriend gonna be there?"  
"Yeah, pro'bly. Why?"  
"Let's just say we didn't get off on the right foot," she replied.  
"Well, like her or not, you gotta eat," he said and pulled her off the bed. "Come on. Jack wants you to be there to meet everybody and I'm starved!"  
"Okay," she finally agreed.  
"Oh, by the way, I'm Racetrack. Call me Race." He grinned at her. She smiled back and for once didn't feel intimidated by a male.  
"I'm Liz Neeley. Call me Liz." She held out her hand. Race shook it.  
"Now let's go to lunch!" he said and bolted out the door. Liz sprinted after him. It felt so good to have made a friend.  
As they walked into Tibby's, all the newsies turned to look their way. Sweety especially looked at Race's expression to see if that new girl had tried anything on him. She knew that there was something about Liz Neeley that she didn't like. However, Sweety found that he looked completely relaxed walking next to her.  
"Heya, Race!" Boots called from a table.  
"Hey, Boots, how's it rollin'?" he replied.  
"Good. Who's the girl?" he asked as they sat down. "Is she yours?" Race chuckled.  
"Naw, she's new. Spot brought her to Manhattan. I just brought her to lunch." Boots seemed satisfied with this answer so he stopped asking questions. They both ordered and everyone became engaged in their own conversations.  
Liz began to relax and started up a conversation with a newsie named Bumlets. He was nice. She was enjoying herself until the bell on the door rang. A ragged looking man entered. The restaurant quieted down. He sat down at a small table in the corner. Liz sunk down into her seat. Jack noticed. He got up and walked over to her.  
"What's wrong?" he whispered.  
"I know that man," she answered quietly.  
"Who is he? Is he your step-father?"  
"Uh, yea. I have to get out of here before he sees me."  
"Yeah, you do. Stand behind me and I'll walk towards the door."  
"Ok." They both stood up. Liz held her breath until they were outside and across the street.  
"We better get back to the lodging house," he said as he turned to face her.  
"No, you go back on inside. No sense in us both missing lunch." Jack looked reluctant but he finally consented.  
"All right. But be careful. I'll have somebody bring back some lunch. Ok?"  
"Ok. See you later, Jack."  
"Bye. I guess teachin' you how to sell will have to wait a while," he said.  
"Yeah, I guess. G'bye, Jack." With that she ran off. Ducking into a nearby crowd of people to keep out of sight. Jack watched until she was gone. Then he walked back into Tibby's.  
"Would one of you guys run Liz back some lunch? She had to leave cuz that guy over there is her step-father and she doesn't want him to see 'er," he said as he sat back down at the table.  
"I'll do it, Jack," Sweety's voice cooed.  
"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea."  
"Why not?" she said, looking hurt.  
"Well, just because you two didn't hit it off to well in the beginning."  
"But this will give us a chance to start over. C'mon, Jackey-poo. Please?" She kissed him and gave him her puppy eyes that she knew he couldn't resist.  
"Ok, fine. But be nice." She looked insulted.  
"I always am." She smiled angelically. She grabbed Liz's food that had been bagged and walked out the door. Of course Jack didn't see the devilish grin on her face when she turned her back to him.  
When Liz arrived at the Lodging House she went straight upstairs to her room. She lay down on her bed and began to cry. Her emotions were all pulling at her heart and they were all totally different. Some were of hate and others were of complete helplessness and desperation. Then there was Spot. She knew he would never even look at her if he knew the truth about her. Or if he did, it wouldn't be about love. When all her tears were cried out, she got up and went up to the roof. Not noticing the other person in the Lodging House.  
She sat there sniffling and thinking. She knew she needed help but how could any of the newsies help her. Or even befriend her if she kept lying to them. However, if she told them the truth she would risk he chance of rejection. And she knew what that was like. Her own mother turned her out onto the streets because, well, she didn't know why she was abandoned. Maybe…  
"So, whatcha doin' up here?" Her thoughts were interrupted.  
"What are you doing here?" she snapped, annoyed that her thoughts had been interupted.  
"Jack sent me to bring you back your lunch. You left in such a hurry." She made Liz uncomfortable. "Why are you up here?" she repeated.  
"I was just thinking."  
"Bout what?" She is so nosy, Liz thought.  
"About life...in general."  
"Oh really. You know, Lizzie," she got right up close to her face, "I know a lot about you that you don't know that I know." She was getting under her skin. Liz tried to play it off.  
"Like what? And don't call me Lizzie, it's just Liz."  
"I know what you are and where you came from. And I am prepared to tell everyone else about it." Liz couldn't help but gasp. She tried to regain herself but it was too late, Sweety had already won.  
"Well, if you're so smart, what am I?"  
"Oh, I don't think we need to embarrass yourself out here."   
"Well then lets go inside." They walked back inside and into Liz's bedroom. Liz shut the door.  
"Why the hell are you here, Sweety? Tell me the truth."  
"I just came to bring you your lunch," she replied, her false innocence showing through.  
"You do know my secret. If you tell anybody, I'll kill you, i swear," She threatened. Sweety smiled triumphantly.  
"So you do have a secret." Liz swore. She had walked right into her trap. "And I know exactly what it is. You are a-"  
"Were, I was a…" she trailed off.  
"Oh, I see. And I bet the only reason you're here is because you're broke and you ran out of customers where you came from! You're going to try and sleep with everyone in this house! Starting with Jack!" She grabbed her by the arm. She was a lot taller than Liz was. Liz cringed.  
"I am not! I'm trying to get away!" she cried. Then, gaining her courage back she shoved Sweety onto the floor. Sweety was stunned. However, she got back up quickly and slapped Liz across her face, hard. There was a huge red welt on her cheek immediately after. This startled Liz at first, but regaining herself, she punched Sweety as hard as she could. Sweety's head flew back and her body followed. She landed with a "splat" on the floor. Liz surprised herself. She didn't know she had it in her. Neither did Sweety, who was sprawled out on the floor. Liz stood there, stunned. A little while later, Sweety moved on the floor. She groaned and then sat up slowly. She looked up at Liz, a look of hatred in her eyes. Her lip was busted and there was a bleeding cut from her lip to the bottom of her chin. Liz whimpered and made a start for the door, but Sweety was extremely quick, and reached Liz before she could get away. She grabbed Liz around the stomach and swung her around. When she let go, Liz crashed into the bed. Liz squealed as her head made direct contact with the hard wooden bedpost. Sweety spit some blood on the floor and smiled triumphantly. That made Liz's insides boil. With a sort of animal-like scream, Liz shot up and jumped on Sweety, knocking her flat on her back. Again. Now Liz had her pinned and she spit in her face.  
"You bitch! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" she screamed at her. She punched her across the face, again, and again. And she probably would have kept punching her if a pair of strong arms hadn't pulled her off.  
"What the hell are you doing?!" Spot yelled at her. Liz squirmed and tried to escape his grip. However, his arms were locked like a vice.  
"Let go of me!"  
"Not until you chill out and tell me what the hell you were doing to Sweety!"  
"I was provoked!"  
"Huh?"  
"She made me do it, asshole!"  
"Are you trying to tell me that I didnt just come in here and see you beating the crap outta Sweety? That she was forcing you to?"  
"That's not what I said!"  
"Yeah, well i dont really give a fuck. You're coming with me."  
"Where?"  
"Another room. Jack is taking care of Sweety." Sure enough Liz looked and Jack was kneeling on the ground helping Sweety to bed. He looked very upset.  
As soon as they were in another room, Spot shoved her onto a bunk. "What the hell is wrong with you? Jack gives you a place to stay and in return you beat up his girl? I dont get you."  
"Thats not what happened..."  
"Well what did happen? I would appreciate an explanation. I'm not happy."  
"It was a misunderstanding, okay? A girl thing....none of your buissness." He shrugged his shoulders.  
"Well i can't force you to tell me."  
"No, you can't." There was no way she was telling him what the fight was really about. That would definately get her turned out. Back on the street.   
He started to leave. "Wait!" He turned around. Their eyes caught and for a moment, she felt weak at the knees. Then it was gone. "Where am I gonna live? Is Jack gonna let me stay?" Spot nodded.  
"But you gotta promise to be good, ok?"  
"I promise."  
"Good. Now I gotta get back. I'm sure they need me back in Brooklyn." She smirked.  
"Yea right. who could ever stand you enough to need you?" He turned back around, a grin plastered on his face.  
"You'd be surprised," he said and then he disapeared down the steps. She laughed to herself.   
"What an asshole." 


End file.
